Game Writing: Storytelling through Video Game Design

In this video, we will explore:

• The meaning of ‘story lite’ vs ‘story rich’ and what kind of game you are looking to create.

• Examples of ‘story lite’ and ‘story rich’ games.

A summary of what we will be exploring in this section:

• What our destination looks like: the creation of a rich storyworld for your game.

• The difference between story, plot and narrative.

• The importance of structuring a story.

• What fuels a story?

In this video, we will explore:

• What a storyworld is, as shown through examples.

• The importance of tone.

• Crucial questions any storyworld creator must be able to answer about the game world they are creating.

• Thinking beyond the game to the wider ‘world’ of the game and how this adds depth to your game.

In this video, we will explore:

• The story as all events in the game.

• The plot as the player’s linear journey through the story.

• The narrative as how the story and plot are conveyed.

• Examples of different games.

In this video, we will explore what gives a plot forward momentum, thereby making the game you create more engaging for players. We will explore:

• The direction and structure of a story.

• How this is driven forward by the game (and therefore the player) having a clear goal.

• The need to be clear on ‘what is at stake’ i.e. What happens if the player is unsuccessful in their mission.

• How to think about ‘what is at stake’ to make sure the goals of the game have emotional resonance.

• The importance of escalation in terms of player engagement.

The WORKSHEET offers an opportunity for you to reflect on your own ideas for your game, what is at stake and what conflict there is in your game. You will also have the opportunity to reflect on your favourite game and how the story/game escalates from beginning to end, as a way of informing your own approach.  

In this video, we will explore:

• How ideas don’t arrive fully formed.

• How ideas develop.

A summary of what we will be exploring in this section:

• Ways to generate ideas.

• How to communicate ideas effectively.

• How to keep track of ideas.

• Ways to develop your ideas further.

In this video, we will explore:

• That there is no one ‘right’ starting point and you will find what works for you and your specific project.

• An awareness of what your role in the game’s creation is and how this impacts your idea development.

• Possible starting points for idea generation, including the question ‘What if?’, along with other starting areas like character, goal, world/setting, game mechanics and theme.

The WORKSHEET offers the opportunity to reflect on your favourite games or film and consider the ideas behind it; asking yourself ‘what if…?’ and exploring trigger sentences as a way of deconstructing and generating ideas.

In this video, we will put into practice the ideas explored so far. Your mission here is to generate your own ideas. The WORKSHEET offers the opportunity to generate your own ideas for a game, asking yourself ‘what if…?’ and exploring trigger sentences.

You will also have the opportunity to explore the elements that will combine to create your own storyworld. In the video, we offer some examples of our own ideas. The emphasis here is really to get you creating.  

In this video, we will explore:

• Why clear communication is important as a game designer/story creator.

• How best to summarise an idea for maximum clarity.

• Different kinds of summaries for different situations.

The WORKSHEET sets you your mission to build on your previous idea development and take the next step of summarising your ideas clearly so that you are able to get a good overview of your game, and are well placed to communicate your ideas/game to other people.

In this video, we highlight the components that combine to convey story through games (which will each be explored in this section), which includes:

• The goal

• Game mechanics

• Characters

• Dialogue

• Setting

• Level design

• Sound design

We will also explore:

• Exposition

• Story triggers

• Cut scenes

In this video, we will explore:

• That the goal is ‘What the player needs to do’, why this is crucial to the game and story, and the importance of the game’s goal being active and involving.

• That the game mechanics are ‘How the player does it’ and the importance of weaving in orientation time for the player.

The WORKSHEET sets you your mission to develop the player’s goal in your game/story. This mission invite you to articulate what the player needs to do and why, how you orientate your player and how you ensure the building of player skills is gradual.

In this video, we will explore:

• The important division of characters into POV characters and NPC (non-player characters.

• How characters are a crucial part of the story and story-delivery through interacting with the player.

• How dialogue needs to convey and fit with the tone of the game.

The WORKSHEET offers the chance to reflect on a game you like and the characters within it, exploring whether the characters fit within the game, what makes them do so (or not), and whether you can see any aspects that could be improved upon.

You will explore your own game and what characters you can imagine populating it, what makes your characters interesting, how they communicate and fit within the broader game.

In this video, we will explore:

• The setting as the time and place in the story/game.

• The importance of conveying style and tone through the visual (and all!) aspects of the game.

• The progression of story and visual information communicated to the player through ‘level design’.

• Maintaining the right balance between interest and understandability by having your game progress and evolve.

• How sound design can impact a gaming experience, including ambiance, tone and immersion.

• How these elements add up to form a coherent whole.

The WORKSHEET invites you to reflect upon the setting, style and tone of a game and explore what it is that you think works well. The worksheet sets you a mission to think about a setting for your game and what that would look like, and then for you to further develop this by considering what it might sound like, keeping in mind the player experience.

In this video, we will explore:

• What exposition is and how there are overt and subtle ways to use this as a tool to express story relevant information.

• What ‘story triggers’ are and how they integrate story information into the game.

• What ‘cut scenes’ are and how they offer a passive experience for the player.

The WORKSHEET mission is for you to explore your own ideas on how best to deliver story information in your game/story and how you will communicate information organically in a way that works for your game.

In this section, we explore:

• What structure is

• Why it is important

• Different structure models

• How to use structure models when developing your game.

In this video we focus on how best to approach structure while developing story for your game.

In this video, we will explore:

• What structure is, and

• Why it is important.

This includes:

• The idea of structure as a roadmap between two points

• Variety of pace and action

• The importance of success and failure

• Balancing ability levels

• Escalation

• Open ended and open world games

The WORKSHEET sets you your mission to develop the 'points on your map'. In other words, developing the structure of your game, including starting point, destination and the 'fuel' (motivation) for the game journey.

In this video, we will explore:

• Linear story structure applied to branching storylines

• What anchors you on the structure journey?

• The need to keep in mind player emotions.

• How backstory can help engage the Player.

The WORKSHEET gives you the opportunity to explore the emotional aspects and the player's experience of your game.

In this video, we will explore the Beginning, middle and end structure model.

In this video, we will explore a linear structure template for stepping out or analysing a story idea, using a couple of game examples.

The attached RESOURCES offer an overview of the structure template.

This is a REFLECTION article designed to:

• get you reflecting upon the structure of a game or a level you have played,

• develop your game ideas in the context of a beginning, middle and end, and

• develop them even further in a more expanded linear framework.

The WORKSHEET attached includes the same information as the lecture, along with space for you to include your ideas.

This is a MISSION article designed to clarify your thoughts about the beginning, middle and end of your story/game (or within a level).

The WORKSHEET attached includes the same information as the lecture, along with space for you to include your ideas.

This is a MISSION article designed to clarify your thoughts about the linear structure of your own game.

The WORKSHEET attached includes the same information as the lecture, along with space for you to include your ideas.

In this video, we will explore the classic hero’s journey structure model, including a game example.

This is a MISSION article. Your mission is to step out the journey of your main character according to the Hero’s Journey.

The WORKSHEET attached includes the same information as the lecture, along with space for you to include your ideas.

In this video we will discuss how to apply the previously explored structure guidelines to your game:

• As a way of generating ideas

• As a diagnostic tool

The aim of this section is to consolidate and build upon your ideas about character, with a particular emphasis on composing your own characters.

In this video we explore character, including what makes someone who they are, and what makes a memorable character.

In the WORKSHEET you will have the opportunity to REFLECT on characters and what makes them tick. 

This is a MISSION article. It invites you to build a main character for your own game idea.

The WORKSHEET attached includes the same information as the lecture, along with space for you to include your ideas.

This article offers our own example of developing a character for our game Relic by using the questions explored in the previous section.

This is a MISSION article. It invites you to build an antagonist for your own game idea.

The WORKSHEET attached includes the same information as the lecture, along with space for you to include your ideas.

In this video, we get you to think about the world you're creating, including:

• Non-player characters and what they add to the mix

• The importance of diversity

This is a super short section about genre, audience expectations and how these things can guide your game creation. We touch on:

• What is genre?

• The importance of genre in guiding expectations

In this article, we look at a selection of genres, noting their common characteristics, what emotion they tend to elicit in the player, and an example of a game in the category.

The INFO SHEET attached includes the same information as the lecture.

This MISSION article offers the opportunity for you to explore your game in relation to genre and audience expectations.

The WORKSHEET attached includes space for you to explore your ideas.